Plants for shade
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Berries, Color in the Garden, companion planting, Container Gardening, Exotic Plants, Ferncliff, Foliage, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Garden Rooms, Paths and Walkways, Perennial Close-Ups, Plant Spotlight, Plants for Light Effects, Plants for shade, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Gardens, Shade Gardening, Unusual Plants
A Splash of Color in Dappled Shade: Persicaria virginiana ‘Painter’s Palette’…. { PS: Please Don’t Confuse Me with My Wicked Cousin }
Persicaria virginiana ‘Painter’s Palette’, Variegated Virginia knotweed (aka Polygonum virginianum/Tovara virginiana) in the Secret Garden at Ferncliff â“’ Michaela at TGE Who says a plant needs flowers to be interesting? Be they speckled, lace-edged or luminous as stained-glass, leaves are often incredibly fascinating. In fact, some of my favorite species in the great Kingdom of […]
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Artful Garden Objects, Beneficial Animals and Insects, Ferncliff, Ferns, Frogs and Toads, Garden Rooms, Gardening without Lawn, Paths and Walkways, Plants for shade, Roses, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Gardens, Shade Gardening, stonework, Urns and Vessels, Walkways - Stone, Water Bowl, Water Features, Water Gardens
The Secret Garden’s Shadowy Allure & Mysterious Prince Pickerel’s Charms…
Prince Pickerel at the Edge of the Water Bowl in the Secret Garden – Image â“’ Michaela at TGE Cool, quiet and calm; a shady oasis whispers seductively on hot summer days. While blazing orange and yellow hues burn bright as wildfire in the meadow, my Secret Garden shimmers like an emerald in the dappled […]
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Color in the Garden, companion planting, Ferncliff, Ferns, Foliage, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Ground Covers, Late Autumn Garden, Perennial Close-Ups, Perennials for Autumn, Perennials for summer, Perennials for Winter Interest, Plant Spotlight, Plants for shade, Plants for Texture, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Shade Gardening, Woodland plants
Restful Rodgersia: A Tall, Dramatic Beauty for Secret, Shadowy Nooks and Damp, Dappled Shade…
Rodgersia aesculifolia in the Secret Garden with Matteuccia struthiopteris and Heuchera – Photo â“’ Michaela at TGE Although you will usually find Rodgersia hiding out in dappled corners, boggy nooks and shadowy glens, it’s not because she’s exactly shy. In fact, when you stop to consider her dramatic foliage and statuesque size, Rodgersia is really […]
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Autumn Color in the Garden, Beneficial Animals and Insects, Birds, Butterflies and Moths, Ferns, Hummingbird/Butterfly, Native North American Woodlands, Native Plants, Naturalistic Garden Design, Nature, Perennials : Vermont, Plant Spotlight, Plants for shade, Plants for sun, Shrubs for fall color, Shrubs for Winter Interest, Shrubs with Colorful Twigs/Stems, The Seasons, Trees, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
“Native Plants: Why We Love Them and How to Use Them” – Free Seminar – This Saturday at Walker Farm in Southern Vermont – Please Join Me …
Native mountain laurel, Kalmia latifolia, (here a cultivar named ‘Pink Charm’), are durable, evergreen plants suitable for ledgy, exposed sites… far more hardy than their more tender cousins, the rhododendrons. To read more about Kalmia latifolia, click here. I am very fortunate. This place in Vermont, where I live, is a true paradise and I […]
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Autumn Color in the Garden, Berries, Early Spring Garden Plants, Ferncliff, flowering shrubs, Garden Design, Native Plants, Plant Spotlight, Planting Techniques, Plants for shade, Plants for sun, shrubs, Shrubs for fall color, Shrubs for ornamental fruit, Viburnum, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
Season-Spanning Garden Design: Springtime Shrubs to Enjoy Now and Love Again Later – Three Favorites…
Fothergilla major ‘Mt Airy’ in May – Native American Witch Alder Is there anything more delightful than the sweet scent of blossoms on a sparkling spring morning? Nature never ceases to amaze me. I often marvel at the seasonal cycle here in my cold climate. In spite of my garden’s success, I still find it […]
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Early Spring Garden Plants, Ferncliff, flowering shrubs, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Ground Covers, Native Plants, Perennial Close-Ups, Planting Techniques, Plants for shade, Plants for Texture, Raindrops, Reflections, rock garden plants, scree gardens, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Gardens, Shade Gardening, shrubs, Spring Blooming Bulbs, Spring Flowering Bulbs, stonework, The Seasons, Water Features, Woodland plants
Thunderstorms and Beautifully Saturated Spring Color…
Wind-Driven Rain at Forest’s Edge… Spring thunderstorms kick up suddenly in New England. One minute the air is still and the birds are singing, and the next -WHAM- a bolt from the blue! Such was the case yesterday afternoon when I went to work in my garden. The passing storm was spectacularly violent and brief; […]
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Ferncliff, Gardening without Lawn, Ground Covers, Native Plants, Naturalistic Garden Design, Nature, Perennial Close-Ups, Plant Spotlight, Plants for shade, The Seasons, Woodland plants
Trout Lily, Fawn Lily, or Dog-tooth Violet: No Matter What You Call This Woodland Beauty, Erythronium is a Springtime Delight…
Erythronium tuolumnense in the Secret Garden at Ferncliff © 2010 Michaela TGE Fawn lily, Trout lily, Dog-tooth Violet: Beautiful, evocative and curious, the common names for the various North American Erythronium species are as delightful as the lovely woodland flower itself. In Northeastern forests, yellow trout lilies are a common, early-spring, ephemeral wildflower. As a […]
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Cooking, Ferncliff, Ferns, Native North American Woodlands, Native Plants, Perennial Close-Ups, Perennials : Vermont, Plant Spotlight, Plants for shade, Plants for Texture, Recipes, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, The Seasons, Woodland plants
Well Fiddle-Dee-Dee: Unfurling Spring Pleasures in the Forest at Ferncliff…
Fiddlehead ferns unfurling in the Secret Garden – Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia pensylvanica) Lady fern ‘Lady in Red’ (Athyrium filix feminina), in my garden Oh yes, we are smack-dab-in-the-middle of fiddlehead season here in the Northeast; one of spring’s most delightful and ephemeral pleasures at my forest home in Vermont. Here on my ledgy site, Ostrich ferns, […]
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Ferncliff, Gardening without Lawn, Ground Covers, Native North American Woodlands, Native Plants, Naturalistic Garden Design, Old Fashioned Flowers, Perennials : Vermont, Plant Spotlight, Planting Techniques, Plants for shade, Shade Gardening, Woodland plants
No Shrinking Violet: North American Native, Lovely Viola Labradorica…
Viola labradorica, (photo © 2010 Michaela at TGE), North American native Labrador violet… They say that Elizabeth Taylor once drew her lovers in with the flutter of her dark lashes and a passing glance from her violet-hued eyes. I have never seen eyes tinted in such a rich color, but I am sure that they […]
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Dark flowers, Ferncliff, Garden Design, Ground Covers, Perennial Close-Ups, Perennials for Winter Interest, Plant hunting, Plant Spotlight, Plants for shade, Plants for Texture, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Shade Gardening, The Seasons, Winter Garden, Woodland plants
Lovely Lenten Rose: The Secret Garden’s First Blossom of Springtime …
Helleborus x hybridus © Michaela at TGE Delicate, feminine, mysterious and shy; while it’s true that these words perfectly describe the beautiful Lenten Rose, there is so much more to this gorgeous harbinger of springtime. I could just as easily describe her -much less romantically- as strong, reliable and tenacious. Helleborus x hybridus, known more […]
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Beneficial Animals and Insects, Birds, Butterflies and Moths, Front Yard Gardens, Gardening Inspiration, Gardening without Lawn, Great Growers and Nurseries, Ground Covers, Honeybee Friendly Gardening, Hummingbird/Butterfly, Insects/Entomology, Native Plants, Naturalistic Garden Design, Nature, Planting Techniques, Plants for shade, Plants for sun, Replacing Lawn, Shade Gardening
Go a Little Less Green for the Environment: Rethink Your Lawn…
The Front Wildflower Walk in my Garden in June… Lush, wide, green and rolling; in America we love our lawns. We like to sprawl out on the grass for a picnic, gather on the neighbor’s lawn for a game of touch football , and set up our folding chairs and tiki-torches in the backyard green […]
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Black Plants, Books, Dahlias, Dark flowers, Dark Plants, Ferncliff, Ferns, Gardening Inspiration, ornamental grass, Plant Spotlight, Plants for Light Effects, Plants for shade, Purple and Maroon Foliage, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Gardens
A Heart of Darkness…
Dahlia ‘Karma Choc’, available online at, (and image via): Â White Flower Farm Some gardeners adore bright colors, and other plant collectors crave pastels. There are those who prefer dramatic plants painted silver and gold and a few indecisive types who seek out green tonal shifts and mottled white variegation. These hues are all quite lovely, […]
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Bowls, Conservatory, Ferncliff, Ferns, Gardening Inspiration, Gifts for Gardeners, House Plants, Indoor Gardening, Indoor Table Arrangements, Lighting, Moss, Plants for shade, Plants for Texture, Terrariums, Tropical Plants
Lush Foliage for Low-Light Rooms : Terrarium Bowls Continued …
A pedestal-bowl terrarium filled with Adiantum, (Maidenhair fern), Calathea lanceolata and Selanginella kraussiana, (Club moss), warms up a modern metallic vanity in the powder room… Grey. Grey. Grey. Today the sky is one big, dull, expanse of monochromatic ash. On days like this, with thick, low clouds and no sunshine to be found, low-light rooms […]
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Autumn Color in the Garden, Birds, Ferncliff, flowering shrubs, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Native Plants, Naturalistic Garden Design, Perennials for Autumn, Plant hunting, Plants for shade, Plants for sun, shrubs, Shrubs for fall color, Viburnum, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
Autumn Brilliance: Plants for Spectacular Fall Color, Part One …
Viburnum trilobum ‘Bailey Compact’ with Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’ What an impossibly beautiful morning. The sky is a scraped palette of blue-grey-violet, and the world all around me is a swirling kaleidoscope of orange and chartreuse, scarlet and vermillion, saffron and violet. I began my day with an early walk through the garden – savoring […]
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Asian Natives, Perennial Close-Ups, Perennials for Autumn, Plants for shade, Shade Gardening, Woodland plants
Tricyrtis formosana ‘Dark Beauty’ ….. The Late Blooming Perennial Toad Lily
Tricyrtis formosana ‘Dark Beauty’ in the Secret Garden at Ferncliff The first time I encountered Tricyrtis formosana she had been stripped of all foliage and was displayed dramatically with coppery toned twigs in a Japanese vase. It was lust at first sight. I was standing at the front desk in an elegant hotel lobby, and although I […]
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Ferncliff, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, ornamental grass, Perennials for Autumn, Perennials for summer, Perennials for Winter Interest, Plant Spotlight, Plants for Light Effects, Plants for shade, Plants for sun, Plants for Texture
Autumn and Everything After……. Designing Beautiful Late Season Gardens with Ornamental Grass…
“Autumn is a Second Spring, When Every Leaf is a Flower” – Camus A Grouping of Miscanthus sinensis, ‘Morning Light’, ‘Variegatus’, and Miscanthus ‘Purpurascens’ in Mid-October at Ferncliff Pennisetum alopecuroides, (fountain grass), with sedum and juniper in the entry garden at Ferncliff  in early September, just before the inflorescence appear. Much as I would like […]
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Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Plant Spotlight, Plants for shade, Pots, Shade Gardening, Tropical Plants
Hello Lover…
Cape Primrose, (Streptocarpus ‘Black Panther’) in the Secret Garden at Ferncliff I love a little flirtation in the garden. Yesterday, my cape primrose ‘Black Panther’ reminded me of just how much fun it is to be teased and surprised. I was dutifully weeding the Secret Garden path when I noticed something dark and mysterious peeking […]
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Ferncliff, Ferns, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Garden Paths, Native Plants, Perennial Close-Ups, Plant Spotlight, Plants for shade, Shade Gardening, Woodland plants
Ode to a Fiddlehead…
The woodland path at Ferncliff – Image â“’ Michaela Medina – The Gardener’s Eden Call me a fiddle-head, it is true. I have a long standing love-affair with ferns. Ostrich and Cinnamon, Maidenhair and Lady, Autumn and Christmas; even their names delight me, and I can never seem to get enough of this delicate, feathery species. My […]
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Garden Design, Planting Techniques, Plants for shade, Spring Flowering Bulbs, Woodland plants
Bluebells on a rainy day…
Hyacinthoides hispanica,’Excelsior’, (Spanish Bluebell), shown here with Pulmunaria saccharata, (Bethlehem sage), and emerging hosta. Native to Spain and Portugal, this blue-beauty is perfect for naturalizing and for planting between late-emerging perennials and beneath trees and shrubs in the garden.  Bluebell bulbs are planted in autumn. A woodland flower by nature, the Spanish bluebell prefers a bit […]
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Garden Design, Plants for shade, Woodland plants
Beauty in the Shadows
Glaucidium Palmatum Native to Japan, this beautiful perennial prefers light shade and rich, moist earth. Â Glaucidium Palmatum is hardy to zone 4 and can reach 16-24″ in height. Â *****
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